ITY   OF   CALIFORNIA          LIBRARY   OF   THE    UNIVERSITY   OF    CALIFORNIA 


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NIVERSiTY   OF   CALIFORNIA         LIBRARY    OF   THE    UNIVERSITY   OF   CALIFORNIA 


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NiVERSITY   OF   CALIFORNIA         LIBRARY   OF   THE    UNIVERSITY   OF   CALIFORNIA 


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WRITING    HIS    DIARY 


'a  itarg 

TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  ORIGINAL  MS. 


JHarfe  ®twaitt 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 

F.  STROTHMANN 


NEW 
HAR 
PUBL 


YORK      AND      LONDON 
PER       6-       BROTHERS 
SHERS          ::         MCMIV 


GIFT  OF 


t-'M 


Copyright,  1893,  by  UNDERBILL  &  NICHOLS. 

Copyright,  1901,  by  IRVING  S.  UNDERBILL. 

Copyright,  1901,  1904,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 

All  rights  reserved. 
Published  April,  1904. 


(W 

Aw  A/ 


[NOTE.  —  /  translated  a  portion  of  this 
diary  some  years  ago,  and  a  friend  of  mine 
printed  a  few  copies  in  an  incomplete  form, 
but  the  public  never  got  them.  Since  then 
I  have  deciphered  some  more  of  Adam's 
hieroglyphics,  and  think  he  has  now  become 
sufficiently  important  as  a  public  character 
to  justify  this  publication. — M.  T.] 


913319 


Afcam's 

JTrauslatcD  from  tbe  original 


frnrn  Abam'0  Start} 


Sxtrarta 
Atom's  Starg 

{Translates  from  tbe  original 


Monday 

This  new  creature  with  the  long 
hair  is  a  good  deal  in  the  way.  It  is 
always  hanging  around  and  following 
me  about.  I  don't  like  this ;  I  am  not 
used  to  company.  I  wish  it  would 
stay  with  the  other  animals.  .  .  . 
Cloudy  to-day,  wind  in  the  east ;  think 
we  shall  have  rain.  .  .  .  We  ?  Where 
did  I  get  that  word?  ...  I  remember 
now — the  new  creature  uses  it. 


frnnt  Afcam's  itarg 


?EKtrarts  from  Aftam'0  JHary 

Tuesday 

Been  examining  the  great  waterfall. 
It  is  the  finest  thing  on  the  estate,  I 
think.  The  new  creature  calls  it 
Niagara  Falls — why,  I  am  sure  I  do 
not  know.  Says  it  looks  like  Niagara 
Falls.  That  is  not  a  reason;  it  is 
mere  waywardness  and  imbecility.  I 
get  no  chance  to  name  anything  my 
self.  The  new  creature  names  every 
thing  that  comes  along,  before  I  can 
get  in  a  protest.  And  always  that 
same  pretext  is  offered — it  looks  like 
the  thing.  There  is  the  dodo,  for 
instance.  Says  the  moment  one  looks 
at  it  one  sees  at  a  glance  that  it 
"looks  like  a  dodo."  It  will  have 
to  keep  that  name,  no  doubt.  It 
wearies  me  to  fret  about  it,  and  it 
does  no  good,  anyway.  Dodo!  It 
looks  no  more  like  a  dodo  than  I  do. 
5 


SExtrarta  frnm  Afcam's  Starg 


frum  Afcam'0 


Wednesday 

Built  me  a  shelter  against  the  rain,  i 
but  could  not  have  it  to  myself  in 
peace.  The  new  creature  intruded. 
When  I  tried  to  put  it  out  it  shed 
water  out  of  the  holes  it  looks  with, 
and  wiped  it  away  with  the  back  of  its 
paws,  and  made  a  noise  such  as  some 
of  the  other  animals  make  when  they 
are  in  distress.  I  wish  it  would  not 
talk;  it  is  always  talking.  That 
sounds  like  a  cheap  fling  at  the  poor 
creature,  a  slur  ;  but  I  do  not  mean  it 
so.  I  have  never  heard  the  human 
voice  before,  and  any  new  and  strange 
sound  intruding  itself  here  upon  the 
solemn  hush  of  these  dreaming  soli 
tudes  offends  my  ear  and  seems  a 
false  note.  And  this  new  sound  is  so 
close  to  me  ;  it  is  right  at  my  shoulder, 
right  at  my  ear,  first  on  one  side  and 
7 


l-xtrart0  from  A&am'a  Starjj 


M  "'&S5&& 

:';,^^ 


fram  Aftam's  Btarg 


Wednesday 

then  on  the  other,  and  I  am  used  only 
to  sounds  that  are  more  or  less  dis 
tant  from  me. 


from  Afcam'0  itarjj 


IO 


1E*irarf0  from  A&ttm'B  Starg 

Friday 

The  naming  goes  recklessly  on,  in 
spite  of  anything  I  can  do.  I  had 
a  very  good  name  for  the  estate,  and 
it  was  musical  and  pretty — GARDEN- 
OF-EDEN.  Privately,  I  continue  to 
call  it  that,  but  not  any  longer  pub 
licly.  The  new  creature  says  it  is  all 
woods  and  rocks  and  scenery,  and 
therefore  ha's  no  resemblance  to  a 
garden.  Says  it  looks  like  a  park, 
and  does  not  look  like  anything  but  a 
park.  Consequently,  without  con 
sulting  me,  it  has  been  new-named 
—NIAGARA  FALLS  PARK.  This  is 
sufficiently  high-handed,  it  seems  to 
me.  And  already  there  is  a  sign  up : 


KEEP  OFF 
THE   GRASS 


My  life  is  riot  as  happy  as  it  was. 


ii 


from  Aftam'0  Starjj 


12 


fmm  Aftam'0  Starjj 

Saturday  ., 

The  new  creature  eats  too  much 
fruit.  We  are  going  to  run  short, 
most  likely.  "We"  again — that  is 
its  word ;  mine  too,  now,  from  hearing 
it  so  much./fGood  deal  of  fog  this 
morning.  I  do  not  go  out  in  the  fog 
myself.  The  new  creature  does.  It 
goes  out  in  all  weathers,  and  stumps 
right  in  with  its  muddy  feet.  And 
talks.  It  used  to  be  so  pleasant  and 
quiet  here. 


front  A&am'n  Itarg 


from  Afcaana  itarg 


Sunday 

Pulled  through.  This  day  is  get 
ting  to  be  more  and  more  trying.  It 
was  selected  and  set  apart  last  No 
vember  as  a  day  of  rest.  I  already 
had  six  of  them  per  week,  before. 
This  morning  found  the  new  creature 
trying  to  clod  apples  out  of  that  for 
bidden  tree. 


fram  Afcam'0  Start} 


from  Abam'a  Itary 


Monday 

The  new  creature  says  its  name  is 
Eve.  That  is  all  right,  I  have  no 
objections.  Says  it  is  to  call  it  by 
when  I  want  it  to  come.  I  said  it 

r- 

was  superfluous,  then.  The  word 
evidently  raised  me  in  its  respect; 
and  indeed  it  is  a  large,  good  word, 
and  will  bear  repetition.  It  says  it 
is  not  an  It,  it  is  a  She.^]  This  is  prob 
ably  doubtfub^et  it  is  all  one  to  me  ; 
what  she  is  were  nothing  to  me  if  she 
would  but  go  by  herself  and  not  talk. 


17 


lExtrarts  from  A&am's 


18 


frnm  Afcam'a  Btarg 


Tuesday 

She  has  littered  the  whole  estate 
with  execrable  names  and  offensive 
signs  : 

t5F°  THIS    WAY    TO    THE   WHIRLPOOL. 

jgir3  THIS  WAY  TO  GOAT  ISLAND. 
t5^°  CAVE  OF  THE  WINDS  THIS  WAY. 

She  says  this  park  would  make  a 
tidy  summer  resort,  if  there  was  any 
custom  for  it.  Summer  resort  —  an 
other  invention  of  hers  —  just  words, 
without  any  meaning.  What  is  a 
summer  resort?  But  it  is  best  not 
to  ask  her,  she  has  such  a  rage  for 
explaining. 


5;Ktrarls  from  Abam's  Btarg 


20 


from  Aiam'ja  Stars 


Friday 

She  has  taken  to  beseeching  me  to 
stop  going  over  the  Falls.  What 
harm  does  it  do?  Says  it  makes  her 
shudder.  I  wonder  why.  I  have  al 
ways  done  it  —  always  liked  the 
plunge,  and  the  excitement,  and  the 
coolness.  I  supposed  it  was  what  the 
Falls  were  for.  They  have  no  other 
use  that  I  can  see,  and  they  must  have 
been  made  for  something.  She  says 
they  were  only  made  for  scenery- 
like  the  rhinoceros  and  the  mastodon. 

I  went  over  the  Falls  in  a  barrel- 
not  satisfactory  to  her.  Went  over  in  a 
tub  —  still  not  satisfactory.  Swam  the 
Whirlpool  and  the  Rapids  in  a  fig-leaf 
suit.  It  got  much  damaged.  Hence, 
tedious  complaints  about  my  extrav 
agance.  I  am  too  much  hampered 
here.  What  I  need  is  change  of  scene. 
21 


Exirarls  from  Afcam's  Starg 


22 


from  A&am'B  Stan} 


Saturday 

I  escaped  last  Tuesday  night,  and 
travelled  two  days,  and  built  me  an 
other  shelter,  in  a  secluded  place,  and 
obliterated  my  tracks  as  well  as  I 
could,  but  she  hunted  me  out  by 
means  of  a  beast  which  she  has  tamed 
and  calls  a  wolf,  and  came  making 
that  pitiful  noise  again,  and  shed 
ding  that  water  out  of  the  places  she 
looks  with.  I  was  obliged  to  return 
with  her,  but  will  presently  emigrate 
again,  when  occasion  offers.  She  en 
gages  herself  in  many  foolish  things  : 
among  others,  trying  to  study  out 
why  the  animals  called  lions  and 
tigers  live  on  grass  and  flowers,  when, 
as  sbe  says,  the  sort  of  teeth  they 
wear  would  indicate  that  they  were 
intended  to  eat  each  other.  This  is 
foolish,  because  to  do  that  would  be 
3  23 


fram  Aimm'is 


Exiraris  from  Aiam's  Siarg 

Saturday 

to  kill  each  other,  and  that  would  in 
troduce  what,  as  I  understand  it,  is 
called  "death" ;  and  death,  as  I  have 
been  told,  has  not  yet  entered  the 
Park.  Which  is  a  pity,  on  some  ac 
counts. 


-from  Aiam'0  iiarg 


26 


fram 


Sunday 

Pulled  through. 


27 


from  Aham's  Itarg 


from  A&am'js  itarg 


Monday 

I  believe  I  see  what  the  week  is 
for  :  it  is  to  give  time  to  rest  up  from 
the  weariness  of  Sunday.  It  seems 
a  good  idea.  .  .  .  She  has  been  climb 
ing  that  tree  again.  Clodded  her  out 
of  it.  She  said  nobody  was  looking. 
Seems  to  consider  that  a  sufficient 
justification  for  chancing  any  danger 
ous  thing.  Told  her  that.  The  word 
justification  moved  her  admiration— 
and  envy  too,  I  thought.  It  is  a 
good  word. 


from  Adam's  itanj 


lExtrarts  frnm  Abam'a  Btarg 

'Thursday 

She  told  me  she  was  made  out  of  a 
rib  taken  from  my  body.  This  is  at 
least  doubtful,  if  not  more  than  that. 
I  have  not  missed  any  rib.  ...  She  is 
in  much  trouble  about  the  buzzard; 
says  grass  does  not  agree  with  it;  is 
afraid  she  can't  raise  it ;  thinks  it  was 
intended  to  live  on  decayed  flesh. 
The  buzzard  must  get  along  the  best 
it  can  with  what  is  provided.  We 
cannot  overturn  the  whole  scheme  to 
accommodate  the  buzzard. 


31 


c. :.-.-:.-.:      '  :  ::    >  .  :  r    •    !    :  -  : 


?£  straits  fram  Allan's 


for 


of  320  c 
is  such  ^ 
sbe  got  a  lot  of 


ew  aix   ten  a       ay. 
I  don't  see  tbat  t3acr  are  aaay  bap- 

:'" •':"'.-':        '  :      ,T_! 


frnm  Aimm's  iiarg 


Extracts  from  Aftam'ja  itarg 

Saturday 

sleep  with  them  again,  for  I  find  them 
clammy  and  unpleasant  to  lie  among 
when  a  person  hasn't  anything  on. 


35 


frnm  Aiam'a  Siarg 


£*&*=£^. 


36 


from  Aham'fi  Start} 


Sunday 

Pulled  through. 


37 


Extracts  fram  Aftam'a  itarg 


from  Afcam'0  Btarg 


Tuesday 

She  has  taken  up  with  a  snake  now. 
The  other  animals  are  glad,  for  she 
was  always  experimenting  with  them 
and  bothering  them;  and  I  am  glad, 
because  the  snake  talks,  and  this  en 
ables  me  to  get  a  rest. 


39 


from  Aiattns  Biarg 


Exlrarta  fram  Aiam'a  Btary 

Friday 

She  says  the  snake  advises  her  to 
try  the  fruit  of  that  tree,  and  says  the 
result  will  be  a  great  and  fine  and 
noble  education.  I  told  her  there 
would  be  another  result,  too  —  it 
would  introduce  death  into  the  world. 
That  was  a  mistake — it  had  been  bet 
ter  to  keep  the  remark  to  myself;  it 
only  gave  her  an  idea — she  could 
save  the  sick  buzzard,  and  furnish 
fresh  meat  to  the  despondent  lions 
and  tigers.  I  advised  her  to  keep 
away  from  the  tree.  She  said  she 
wouldn't.  I  foresee  trouble.  Will 
emigrate. 


from  Aiam'a  Diary 


lExtrartBi  from  Aftam'B  itarg 

Wednesday 

I  have  had  a  variegated  time.  I 
escaped  that  night,  and  rode  a  horse 
all  night  as  fast  as  he  could  go,  hop 
ing  to  get  clear  out  of  the  Park  and 
hide  in  some  other  country  before  the 
trouble  should  begin;  but  it  was  not 
to  be.  About  an  hour  after  sunup, 
as  I  was  riding  through  a  flowery 
plain  where  thousands  of  animals 
were  grazing,  slumbering,  or  playing 
with  each  other,  according  to  their 
wont,  all  of  a  sudden  they  broke  into 
a  tempest  of  frightful  noises,  and  in 
one  moment  the  plain  was  in  a  frantic 
commotion  and  every  beast  was  de 
stroying  its  neighbor.  I  knew  what 
it  meant — Eve  had  eaten  that  fruit, 
and  death  was  come  into  the  world. 
.  .  .  The  tigers  ate  my  horse,  paying 
no  attention  when  I  ordered  them  to 

43 


?ExtrariH  frrim 


44 


from  Abam'0  itart} 


Wednesday 

desist,  and  they  would  even  have 
eaten  me  if  I  had  stayed  —  which  I 
didn't,  but  went  away  in  much  haste. 
...  I  found  this  place,  outside  the 
Park,  and  was  fairly  comfortable  for 
a  few  days,  but  she  has  found  me 
out.  Found  me  out,  and  has  named 
the  place  Tonawanda  —  says  it  looks 
like  that.  In  fact,  I  was  not  sorry 
she  came,  for  there  are  but  meagre 
pickings  here,  and  she  brought  some 
of  those  apples.  I  was  obliged  to 
eat  them,  I  was  so  hungry.  It  was 
against  my  principles,  but  I  find  that 
principles  have  no  real  force  except 
when  one  is  well  fed.  .  .  .  She  came 
curtained  in  boughs  and  bunches  of 
leaves,  and  when  I  asked  her  what 
she  meant  by  such  nonsense,  and 
snatched  them  away  and  threw  them 
45 


'is  itarg 


from  Afcam'0  Starg 


Wednesday 

down,  she  tittered  and  blushed.  I 
had  never  seen  a  person  titter  and 
blush  before,  and  to  me  it  seemed  un 
becoming  and  idiotic.  She  said  I 
would  soon  know  how  it  wras  myself. 
This  was  correct.  Hungry  as  I  was,  I 
laid  down  the  apple  half  eaten  —  cer 
tainly  the  best  one  I  ever  saw,  con 
sidering  the  lateness  of  the  season— 
and  arrayed  myself  in  the  discarded 
boughs  and  branches,  and  then  spoke 
to  her  with  some  severity  and  ordered 
her  to  go  and  get  some  more  and  not 
make  such  a  spectacle  of  herself. 
She  did  it,  and  after  this  we  crept 
down  to  where  the  wild-beast  battle 
had  been,  and  collected  some  skins, 
and  I  made  her  patch  together  a 
couple  of  suits  proper  for  public  oc 
casions.  They  are  uncomfortable,  it 
47 


from  Abam'B  Uiary 


Wednesday 

is  true,  but  stylish,  and  that  is  the 
main  point  about  clothes.  ...  I  find 
she  is  a  good  deal  of  a  companion.  I 
see  I  should  be  lonesome  and  de 
pressed  without  her,  now  that  I  have 
lost  my  property.  Another  thing, 
she  says  it  is  ordered  that  we  work 
for  our  living  hereafter.  She  will  be 
useful.  I  will  superintend. 


49 


Extrarta  from  A&am's  itartj 


Extracts  fmm  Afcam'ja  Siarij 

Ten  Days  Later 

She  accuses  me  of  being  the  cause 
of  our  disaster!  She  says,  with  ap 
parent  sincerity  and  truth,  that  the 
Serpent  assured  her  that  the  forbid 
den  fruit  was  not  apples,  it  was  chest 
nuts.  I  said  I  was  innocent,  then, 
for  I  had  not  eaten  any  chestnuts. 
She  said  the  Serpent  informed  her 
that  "chestnut"  was  a  figurative 
term  meaning  an  aged  and  mouldy 
joke.  I  turned  pale  at  that,  for  I 
have  made  many  jokes  to  pass  the 
weary  time,  and  some  of  them  could 
have  been  of  that  sort,  though  I  had 
honestly  supposed  that  they  were 
new  when  I  made  them.  She  asked 
me  if  I  had  made  one  just  at  the  time 
of  the  catastrophe.  I  was  obliged 
to  admit  that  I  had  made  one  to  my 
self,  though  not  aloud.  It  was  this. 


from  AJmm'js  Uiarg 


from  Aiam'js  JBianj 


Ten  Days  Later 

I  was  thinking  about  the  Falls,  and  I 
said  to  myself,  "How  wonderful  it  is 
to  see  that  vast  body  of  water  tumble 
down  there!"  Then  in  an  instant  a 
bright  thought  flashed  into  my  head, 
and  I  let  it  fly,  saying,  "  It  would  be 
a  deal  more  wonderful  to  see  it  tum 
ble  up  there!"  —  and  I  was  just  about 
to  kill  myself  with  laughing  at  it 
when  all  nature  broke  loose  in  war 
and  death,  and  I  had  to  flee  for  my 
life.  "There,"  she  said,  with  tri 
umph,  "that  is  just  it;  the  Serpent 
mentioned  that  very  jest,  and  called 
it  the  First  Chestnut,  and  said  it  was 
coeval  with  the  creation."  Alas,  I 
am  indeed  to  blame.  Would  that  I 
were  not  witty  ;  oh,  would  that  I  had 
never  had  that  radiant  thought! 


53 


Sxtrarts  from  Afcam'0  itarg 


54 


Extracts  fram  Afcam'0  Siarg 

Next  Tear 

We  have  named  it  Cain.  She 
caught  it  while  I  was  up  country 
trapping  on  the  North  Shore  of  the 
Erie ;  caught  it  in  the  timber  a  couple 
of  miles  from  our  dug-out  —  or  it 
might  have  been  four,  she  isn't  cer 
tain  which.  It  resembles  us  in  some 
ways,  and  may  be  a  relation.  That 
is  what  she  thinks,  but  this  is  an  error, 
in  my  judgment.  The  difference  in 
size  warrants  the  conclusion  that  it 
is  a  different  and  new  kind  of  animal 
—a  fish,  perhaps,  though  when  I  put 
it  in  the  water  to  see,  it  sank,  and  she 
plunged  in  and  snatched  it  out  before 
there  was  opportunity  for  the  ex 
periment  to  determine  the  matter. 
I  still  think  it  is  a  fish,  but  she  is  in 
different  about  what  it  is,  and  will 
not  let  me  have  it  to  try.  I  do  not 
5  55 


i-xtrarts  from  Adam's  Diarij 


from  Abam'0  Stanj 


Next  Tear 

understand  this.  The  coming  of  the 
creature  seems  to  have  changed  her 
whole  nature  and  made  her  unrea 
sonable  about  experiments.  She 
thinks  more  of  it  than  she  does  of  any 
of  the  other  animals,  but  is  not  able 
to  explain  why.  Her  mind  is  dis 
ordered  —  everything  shows  it.  Some 
times  she  carries  the  fish  in  her  arms 
half  the  night  when  it  complains  and 
wants  to  get  to  the  water.  At  such 
times  the  water  comes  out  of  the 
places  in  her  face  that  she  looks  out 
of,  and  she  pats  the  fish  on  the  back 
and  makes  soft  sounds  with  her 
mouth  to  soothe  it,  and  betrays  sor 
row  and  solicitude  in  a  hundred  ways. 
I  have  never  seen  her  do  like  this 
with  any  other  fish,  and  it  troubles 
me  greatly.  She  used  to  carry  the 
57 


from  A&am's 


from  Aham'a  Btarg 


Next  Year 

young  tigers  around  so,  and  play 
with  them,  before  we  lost  our  prop 
erty  ;  but  it  was  only  play  ;  she  never 
took  on  about  them  like  this  when 
their  dinner  disagreed  with  them. 


59 


'B  Starg 


lExirarta  frattt  Abam'H  liarjj 

Sunday 

She  doesn't  work  Sundays,  but  lies 
around  all  tired  out,  and  likes  to 
have  the  fish  wallow  over  her;  and 
she  makes  fool  noises  to  amuse  it, 
and  pretends  to  chew  its  paws,  and 
that  makes  it  laugh.  I  have  not 
seen  a  fish  before  that  could  laugh. 
This  makes  me  doubt.  ...  I  have  come 
to  like  Sunday  myself.  Superintend 
ing  all  the  week  tires  a  body  so. 
There  ought  to  be  more  Sundays. 
In  the  old  days  they  were  tough,  but 
now  they  come  handy. 


61 


from  Ainam'0  iiarg 


from  Afcam'a  itarg 


Wednesday 

It  isn't  a  fish.  I  cannot  quite 
make  out  what  it  is.  It  makes  cu 
rious,  devilish  noises  when  not  satis 
fied,  and  says  "  goo-goo"  when  it  is. 
It  is  not  one  of  us,  for  it  doesn't  walk  ; 
it  is  not  a  bird,  for  it  doesn't  fly  ;  it  is 
not  a  frog,  for  it  doesn't  hop  ;  it  is  not 
a  snake,  for  it  doesn't  crawl;  I  feel 
sure  it  is  not  a  fish,  though  I  cannot 
get  a  chance  to  find  out  whether  it 
can  swim  or  not.  It  merely  lies 
around,  and  mostly  on  its  back,  with 
its  feet  up.  I  have  not  seen  any 
other  animal  do  that  before.  (  I  said 
I  believed  it  was  an  enigma,  but  she 
only  admired  the  word  without  un 
derstanding  it  J  In  my  judgment  it  is 
either  an  enigma  or  some  kind  of  a 
bug.  If  it  dies,  I  will  take  it  apart 
and  see  what  its  arrangements  are. 
I  never  had  a  thing  perplex  me  so. 

63 


IxtrariB  from  A&am's  Hiarg 


frnm  Abam'a  Sfarg 

Three  Months  Later 

The  perplexity  augments  instead 
of  diminishing.  I  sleep  but  little. 
It  has  ceased  from  lying  around,  and 
goes  about  on  its  four  legs  now.  Yet 
it  differs  from  the  other  four-legged 
animals  in  that  its  front  legs  are 
unusually  short,  consequently  this 
causes  the  main  part  of  its  person  to 
stick  up  uncomfortably  high  in  the 
air,  and  this  is  not  attractive.  It  is 
built  much  as  we  are,  but  its  method 
of  travelling  shows  that  it  is  not  of 
our  breed.  The  short  front  legs  and 
long  hind  ones  indicate  that  it  is  of 
the  kangaroo  family,  but  it  is  a 
marked  variation  of  the  species,  since 
the  true  kangaroo  hops,  whereas  this 
one  never  does.  Still,  it  is  a  curious 
and  interesting  variety,  and  has  not 
been  catalogued  before.  As  I  dis- 
65 


Extrarts  frnut  Aimm's 


66 


Extrarta  from  A&am'js  iliarij 

Three  Months  Later 
covered  it,  I  have  felt  justified  in  se 
curing  the  credit  of  the  discovery  by 
attaching  my  name  to  it,  and  hence 
have  called  it  Kangaroorum  Adam- 
iensis.  ...  It  must  have  been  a  young 
one  when  it  came,  for  it  has  grown 
exceedingly  since.  It  must  be  five 
times  as  big,  now,  as  it  was  then, 
and  when  discontented  is  able  to 
make  from  twenty-two  to  thirty- 
eight  times  the  noise  it  made  at  first. 
Coercion  does  not  modify  this,  but  has 
the  contrary  effect.  For  this  reason 
I  discontinued  the  system.  She  rec 
onciles  it  by  persuasion,  and  by  giv 
ing  it  things  which  she  had  previously 
told  it  she  wouldn't  give  it.  As  al 
ready  observed,  I  was  not  at  home 
when  it  first  came,  and  she  told  me 
she  found  it  in  the  woods.  It  seems 
67 


from  Afcam'a 


68 


frum  A&am*fi  Biarg 

Months  Later 
odd  that  it  should  be  the  only  one, 
yet  it  must  be  so,  for  I  have  worn 
myself  out  these  many  weeks  trying 
to  find  another  one  to  add  to  my 
collection,  and  for  this  one  to  play 
with;  for  surely  then  it  would  be 
quieter,  and  we  could  tame  it  more 
easily.  But  I  find  none,  nor  any 
vestige  of  any;  and  strangest  of  all, 
no  tracks.  It  has  to  live  on  the 
ground,  it  cannot  help  itself;  there 
fore,  how  does  it  get  about  without 
leaving  a  track?  I  have  set  a  dozen 
traps,  but  they  do  no  good.  I  catch 
all  small  animals  except  that  one; 
animals  that  merely  go  into  the  trap 
out  of  curiosity,  I  think,  to  see  what 
the  milk  is  there  for.  They  never 
drink  it. 


3EKintrt0  from  A&am'js  Starg 


70 


fram  Abam's  itarg 


Months  Later 
The  kangaroo  still  continues  to 
grow,  which  is  very  strange  and  per 
plexing.  I  never  knew  one  to  be  so 
long  getting  its  growth.  It  has  fur 
on  its  head  now;  not  like  kangaroo 
fur,  but  exactly  like  our  hair,  except 
that  it  is  much  finer  and  softer,  and 
instead  of  being  black  is  red.  I  am 
like  to  lose  my  mind  over  the  capri 
cious  and  harassing  developments  of 
this  unclassifiable  zoological  freak. 
If  I  could  catch  another  one  —  but 
that  is  hopeless;  it  is  a  new  variety, 
and  the  only  sample;  this  is  plain. 
But  I  caught  a  true  kangaroo  and 
brought  it  in,  thinking  that  this  one, 
being  lonesome,  would  rather  have 
that  for  company  than  have  no  kin 
at  all,  or  any  animal  it  could  feel  a 
nearness  to  or  get  sympathy  from  in 
6  71 


fram  Afcam's  Starg 


from  Afcam's  Siary 


Three  Months  Later 
its  forlorn  condition  here  among 
strangers  who  do  not  know  its  ways 
or  habits,  or  what  to  do  to  make  it 
feel  that  it  is  among  friends;  but  it 
was  a  mistake  —  it  went  into  such  fits 
at  the  sight  of  the  kangaroo  that  I 
was  convinced  it  had  never  seen  one 
before.  I  pity  the  poor  noisy  little 
animal,  but  there  is  nothing  I  can  do 
to  make  it  happy.  If  I  could  tame 
it  —  but  that  is  out  of  the  question; 
the  more  I  try,  the  worse  I  seem  to 
make  it.  It  grieves  me  to  the  heart 
to  see  it  in  its  little  storms  of  sorrow 
and  passion.  I  wanted  to  let  it  go, 
but  she  wouldn't  hear  of  it.  That 
seemed  cruel  and  not  like  her;  and 
yet  she  may  be  right.  It  might  be 
lonelier  than  ever;  for  since  I  cannot 
find  another  one,  how  could  it? 
73 


from  A&am'a  Biarg 


from  Afcam's  llarg 

Five  Months  Later 

It  is  not  a  kangaroo.  No,  for  it 
supports  itself  by  holding  to  her  fin 
ger,  and  thus  goes  a  few  steps  on  its 
hind  legs,  and  then  falls  down.  It  is 
probably  some  kind  of  a  bear;  and 
yet  it  has  no  tail — as  yet — and  no  fur, 
except  on  its  head.  It  still  keeps  on 
growing — that  is  a  curious  circum 
stance,  for  bears  get  their  growth 
earlier  than  this.  Bears  are  danger 
ous —  since  our  catastrophe  —  and  I 
shall  not  be  satisfied  to  have  this 
one  prowling  about  the  place  much 
longer  without  a  muzzle  on.  I  have 
offered  to  get  her  a  kangaroo  if  she 
would  let  this  one  go,  but  it  did  no 
good  —  she  is  determined  to  run  us 
into  all  sorts  of  foolish  risks,  I  think. 
She  was  not  like  this  before  she  lost 
her  mind. 

75 


frnm  Afcam'a  Start} 


front 


A  Fortnight  Later 

I  examined  its  mouth.  There  is  no 
danger  yet  ;  it  has  only  one  tooth.  It 
has  no  tail  yet.  It  makes  more  noise 
now  than  it  ever  did  before  —  and 
mainly  at  night.  I  have  moved  out. 
But  I  shall  go  over,  mornings,  to 
breakfast,  and  to  see  if  it  has  more 
teeth.  If  it  gets  a  mouthful  of  teeth, 
it  will  be  time  for  it  to  go,  tail  or  no 
tail,  for  a  bear  does  not  need  a  tail  in 
order  to  be  dangerous. 


77 


frnttt  Abam's  Btttrg 


Extrarta  from  Aham'a  Stan} 

Four  Months  Later 

I  have  been  off  hunting  and  fishing 
a  month,  up  in  the  region  that  she 
calls  Buffalo ;  I  don't  know  why,  un 
less  it  is  because  there  are  not  any 
buffaloes  there.  Meantime  the  bear 
has  learned  to  paddle  around  all  by 
itself  on  its  hind  legs,  and  says  "  pop 
pa"  and  "momma."  It  is  certainly 
a  new  species.  This  resemblance  to 
words  may  be  purely  accidental,  of 
course,  and  may  have  no  purpose  or 
meaning;  but  even  in  that  case  it  is 
still  extraordinary,  and  is  a  thing 
which  no  other  bear  can  do.  This 
imitation  of  speech,  taken  together 
with  general  absence  of  fur  and  entire 
absence  of  tail,  sufficiently  indicates 
that  this  is  a  new  kind  of  bear.  The 
further  study  of  it  will  be  exceedingly 
interesting.  Meantime  I  will  go  off 
79 


front  Afcam's 


80 


fram  A&am'B  Diary 


Four  Months  Later 
on  a  far  expedition  among  the  forests 
of  the  North  and  make  an  exhaustive 
search.  There  must  certainly  be  an 
other  one  somewhere,  and  this  one 
will  be  less  dangerous  when  it  has 
company  of  its  own  species.  I  will 
go  straightway  ;  but  I  will  muzzle  this 
one  first. 


81 


Itarg 


from  A&am'B  Utarg 


Three  Months  Later 

It  has  been  a  weary,  weary  hunt, 
yet  I  have  had  no  success.  In  the 
mean  time,  without  stirring  from  the 
home  estate,  she  has  caught  another 
one!  I  never  saw  such  luck.  I 
might  have  hunted  these  woods  a  hun 
dred  years,  I  never  should  have  run 
across  that  thing. 


?Extrartfi  frnm  Afcam's  Diary 


frnm  Aftam's  Diary 


Next  Day 

I  have  been  comparing  the  new 
one  with  the  old  one,  and  it  is  per 
fectly  plain  that  they  are  the  same 
breed.  I  was  going  to  stuff  one  of 
them  for  my  collection,  but  she  is 
prejudiced  against  it  for  some  reason 
or  other;  so  I  have  relinquished  the 
idea,  though  I  think  it  is  a  mistake. 
It  would  be  an  irreparable  loss  to 
science  if  they  should  get  away.  The 
old  one  is  tamer  than  it  was,  and  can 
laugh  and  talk  like  the  parrot,  having 
learned  this,  no  doubt,  from  being 
with  the  parrot  so  much,  and  having 
the  imitative  faculty  in  a  highly  de 
veloped  degree.  I  shall  be  astonished 
if  it  turns  out  to  be  a  new  kind  of  par 
rot  ;  and  yet  I  ought  not  to  be  aston 
ished,  for  it  has  already  been  every 
thing  else  it  could  think  of,  since  those 
85 


frnm  Aimm'fi  Btarg 


86 


fmm  Afcam's  Btanj 

Next  Day 

first  days  when  it  was  a  fish.  The 
new  one  is  as  ugly  now  as  the  old  one 
was  at  first;  has  the  same  sulphur- 
and-raw-meat  complexion  and  the 
same  singular  head  without  any  fur 
on  it.  She  calls  it  Abel. 


frnm  Aftam'0  Siarg 


from  Afcam'B  iiary 


Ten   Tears  Later 

They  are  boys  ;  we  found  it  out  long 
ago.  It  was  their  coming  in  that 
small,  immature  shape  that  puzzled 
us  ;  we  were  not  used  to  it.  There  are 
some  girls  now.  Abel  is  a  good  boy, 
but  if  Cain  had  stayed  a  bear  it  would 
have  improved  him.  After  all  these 
years,  I  see  that  I  was  mistaken  about 
Eve  in  the  beginning;  it  is  better  to 
live  outside  the  Garden  with  her  than 
inside  it  without  her.  At  first  I 
thought  she  talked  too  much;  but 
now  I  should  be  sorry  to  have  that 
voice  fall  silent  and  pass  out  of  my 
life.  Blessed  be  the  chestnut  that 
brought  us  near  together  and  taught 
me  to  know  the  goodness  of  her  heart 
and  the  sweetness  of  her  spirit  ! 

THE    END 


89 


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